Virtual Tour-Starting in the Dining Room
I think I will give you a little before and after tour of each room as I update them in the new house. Besides the bathroom, the dining room was one of the first rooms I refinished. I decided not to mess with the beaded board walls or drop ceiling at this time, and the carpet may someday come out to reveal the… hardwood floors! But for now… the before:
Yeah, not much for a dining room, right? And After…
I really wanted initially to get rid of the blue ceiling fan. However, family and friends convinced me to work around it. The fan was new and it had a remote and a dimmer. They swore it would be handy. Turns out, they are right! So, I covered a large lamp shade in silky black ribbon and attached it to the fan over the light bulbs. I also hung a crystal from the pull. I think the set-up helps a lot!
On this wall will eventually be a buffet I am refinishing. Stay tuned for that project soon.
And remember the armuoir I turned into a mini bar? So, what do you think so far?
Budget Bathroom Redmodel
I recently bought my first home and armed with a tight budget and a big dream I set out to fix the place up. The house was built in the 20’s and plumbing was not originally indoors. The bathroom is large, but appears to be in an old bedroom or closet. There was a bathtub, but because of the slope of the roof, there was no room for a stand up shower without hitting your head. I had to get creative in order to stay within my means and also make the place functional for everyday living…
Here are a few before shots of the old retro bathroom:
Not only was there no shower, but this baby also had carpet, dingy tile board walls, no outlets, and only one tiny light. I had my work cut out for me.
I decided to refinish a clawfoot tub and move it away from the wall a couple of feet in order to add a diverter faucet where the ceiling was high enough to stand to shower. The rest fell into place after that. All was done for under $1000. Check it out:
Yea, that’s right, it’s the same bathroom. Clean, functional, bright, and a bit glamorous. My own personal dressing room!
An Office Project Finished
As I said before, I have recently started a new job. With that has come a new, but bland, office. So, I got to work. The first project I have completed is a table for the office. I found this ugly guy with a paper top for a couple of dollars at the thrift store:
I started by sanding the wood legs and sides a bit and then painting them black. I then used scrapbook paper on the top. I taped the paper down, starting with a full sheet in the very middle of the table. When the sheets were lined up nicely, I used ModPodge to cover the sheets, using a foam brush. I did several coats of this, drying in between.
Black and white, of course!
One thing I learned from using the ModPodge was that it makes the paper wet, so at first it will bubble up. This smooths out as it dries. But, I did make the mistake of lining the paper sheets up perfectly edge to edge. Lining them up with a bit of overlap would have prevented the sheets from moving as they dried. I do have a few tiny spots where there are gaps between the paper now. I learned! 🙂
Bathroom Facelift
I got the shower curtain in the mail… and I love it! I ran out the next day to get a new curtain rod that is curved (I hate the curtain touching me, and we hated the gold!). I also picked up a couple white and black towels and a new rug. The new toothbrush holder is actually an old jar. What a huge difference these touches made!
Here is the before:
And here is the updated bathroom:
A bit more sophisticated?
Of course there are still changes we would like to make, but it was a great start for such a small budget! With the new curved rod we are thinking about getting a second curtain, as it is a tight fit. We would also like to paint the walls. Next year we are getting a new shower, and would still like to try the corrugated metal idea. Its getting there! What do you think?
Lawn Chairs and Cookouts
Yesterday I finally got the garage sale lawn chairs finished! Remember the old blue metal set we got for $10? The one that looked like it belonged next to pink plastic flamingos in, well, not our yard? Yes, those are nice shiny black now! Before:
Now:
All we needed was a couple fun cushions. Well, that has been a task. Since these chairs are so old no cushions are the right size! And, have you noticed how dull this year’s “summer” colors are? Blah! But, we stopped in at K-Mart just to check, and found a decent, fun and bright set. Not what we thought we wanted, but it will work for this year! They are a bit different shape, but when you sit in them and squish them down they are perfect. I would also like to add a couple red throw pillows to match the ones we would like to throw on the hammock (coming soon!). Here’s what we have so far:
Better! And Tony even helped me pick ’em out! So, we decided to celebrate a productive day (and the fact that it didn’t rain!) by grilling out and having dinner at the picnic table.
The pups even joined in! Have a great weekend!
P.S. Just for the record, the blue on the chairs was a really pretty color. But, we have a lot of red in our yard and it just wasn’t matching what we wanted to do out there. But, after already painted the set black we realized the new cushions do have the exact blue in them! Oh, well, sticking to the plan! Now they are versatile enough to change our minds on cushions all the time! (if they weren’t so ridiculously expensive!)
Counter-Tops!
They are in, and it’s official- I love ’em! Here is a dark before to remind you:
What an improvement, don’t you think!? It is all coming together so nicely. We do have a few more projects in the works. See that vent pipe above the stove? That is getting boxed in, no more tacky-ness. We also have a great set of lights that are being installed which I will reveal later. A few creative touches are in the process as well.
Notice the old microwave is gone and a hood was installed in its palce as well…
What do you think? Suggestions?
Pots, Plants, Colors
Not a very exciting day here, just more cleaning and trying to enjoy some sun. But I did do a bit more planting the other day. I painted some terracotta pots just up to the rim (by taping the rim off with painter’s tape) to add some more interest to the porch. I also chose a few white and yellow flowers to go with the red. I think it’s looking better all the time. Up by the door we used an old barrel to hold a few pretty flowers. We actually planted these in a plastic planter with an attached water catch at the bottom so as not to ruin the barrel.
P.S. The counter tops are in! We hope to have them picked up and possibly installed next Monday…so stay tuned! 🙂
Some Gardening
Last night I picked up a few inexpensive black, square pots for a few flowers for our porch. I think they (although small) brightened up the front porch and made it at least look like someone lives there! We also hung a strawberry plant in the corner, where it can get a lot of sun. (Again, sorry for the dark, rainy pictures!)
It’s at least a start. So, while I was out there I started pulling a few “weeds” from the rocks around the porch. By the way, I am puzzled as to why the last owner planted three big, beautiful, green plants on one side of the steps, but none on the other. So, if you are wondering, don’t ask me! So, as I was pulling this “weed” from between all of the rocks (it looked like misplaced grass) I noticed it was growing from bulbs! Grass doesn’t grow from bulbs, does it? We are curious as to what it is, and maybe whether or not we should be pulling it!? Here is a picture of what I pulled up, so if you have any info I’m all ears!
Let me know what you think! And, just for run, here is a picture of the pretty yellow flowers growing in the back yard!
Kitchen Cabinets!
They are done. Yes, they are done! I love love it! Remember, as you look at the pictures, though, that the old white on white counter-tops look won’t last long. We will be getting the new dark counter-tops in a few weeks. Also, notice the new cabinet in between the stove and the fridge- now the dog food can be hidden! (It will also get a counter-top!) A before to freshen your memory:
Here you go:
Well? What do you think? I think it feels so nice and new and clean in there! Remember, things will keep changing for a while. In addition to new counter-tops there will be a hood where the old microwave is, and the cabinet above the fridge will change. We also have a few more projects for in here… like new lights and something to do with antique rolling pins… so let me know what you think, and stay tuned!
One More Sneak Peak- Countertops
So, I guess I should have, but I didn’t plan for the unexpected road blocks when finishing the kitchen. Like, accidentally buying a couple too few hinges! It is done, but not picture ready. So I have one more sneak peak for you until then. Here is the sample card for the counter-tops we are getting. I originally wanted pure black, but there is no standard laminate in pure black. I picked black because it was to look like slate. Laminate is, unfortunately, what we can afford right now. So, this was the most black laminate we could get. It is probably going to look like marble. This may be great to some, but I am concerned it is too far from my original vision. Will it look to country? It does tie in the browns from the floor and the white from the cabinets. It will take about two weeks to get them in since they are extra long… so please, ease my mind until then! No, really, give me your true opinions!
Make Mine Eclectic 